by Gail Poyner, PhD

When parents discover that their child has been viewing pornography, it can feel devastating. That’s completely understandable. As a psychologist who treats adults and children who are struggling with pornography, parents almost universally ask, “What do I do?” My answer is the same every time: PREVENT ACCESS!

Gail Poyner, PhD, Licensed Psychologist

The longer a child continues to view pornography, the more entrenched it becomes in their mind, so the first step is to prevent further access to it as much as possible. I recommend a simple but useful way to start what will be only the first step in attempting to keep a child from viewing pornography.

I call it the “who, what, where, when and why” approach. I recommend that parents lovingly and calmly question their child to find out the following information.

The 5 W’s of Porn Access

Who: Is there someone…